Every Thursday, idealista/news invites you to step inside homes that seem to have a story to tell. Some stand out for the setting in which they are located, others for their technological innovation, and this time, we travel to Melbourne, Australia, to discover a residence inspired by the solemnity of temples to reinvent family living. Temple House is a home where domestic architecture takes on a ritualistic dimension.
With clearly defined axes, hierarchical pathways, courtyards and atriums that structure the experience of space, and carefully choreographed light that takes on an almost symbolic role. Here, elements typical of religious architecture are reinterpreted in a residential context, creating marked thresholds, central spaces with an almost ceremonial presence, and a sequence of environments that invite pause and contemplation in the heart of the city.
Timothy Kaye
The house is set on a long, narrow plot in the Hawthorn neighborhood of Melbourne, Australia. Designed by the J Kidman Architecture studio, in collaboration with interior design studios Golden and Studio Tali Roth, this single-storey home was conceived for a family of five.
The spatial organization revolves around two courtyards, which ensure natural light and ventilation throughout the entire plot in a very fluid and linear way.
Sean Fennessy
This project ended up finding an unexpected connection with religious architecture. “With features equivalent to an atrium, side aisles, and a central nave of a cathedral or basilica, all with strong axial relationships and a marked sense of ceremony and formality, the project was, in fact, a kind of reinvented basilica.”
For this reason, the studio decided to follow this path and move forward “towards the idea of a domestic temple in the form of the building, imagining a construction with calm yet powerful lines that would invite contemplation.”
The Local Project
Access is through a side passage next to the garage. From there, a curved wall clad in grooved limestone acts as a sculptural element and marks the first “threshold” of the house. After passing through this area, a small vestibule opens up, with large angled windows that reveal the main spaces of the social area.
A longitudinal corridor runs along the axis of the house and leads you eastward, where a spacious double-height area opens up, bringing together the living room, dining room, and kitchen in an open-plan layout. This space is covered by a striking trapezoidal roof, and beneath it, the living area extends toward the north and south courtyards through sliding doors and large frameless glass surfaces.
Sean Fennessy
The north courtyard ends in a geometrically shaped swimming pool, which is reached by crossing a small moat. The master bedroom, facing south, connects to the surrounding greenery through a large arch, creating a sense of a peaceful retreat.
The central stone walls support the extension of the roof and divide the gardens into distinct areas designed for relaxation and greenery. All of this is complemented by steel columns and structures designed to support climbing plants, which help bring even more life to the ensemble.
Sean Fennessy
Viewed from the outside, the house presents geometric volumes clad in light-toned bagged masonry, giving it a more delicate texture and an almost monolithic character. This solid appearance is softened by large glazed surfaces that blur the boundaries between interior and exterior.
Inside, the space is organized around a green marble kitchen, which serves as the true meeting point of the home. Around it, a dark green modular sofa and a stainless steel dining table with seating for twelve have been arranged, reinforcing this idea of a nearly formal gathering.
“The brutalist nature of the chosen materials—stone, light wood, and metals—and the high ceilings could easily have created a cold and uninviting environment. Therefore, our mission was to work with these characteristics and ensure they became extremely comfortable and welcoming,” explains the interior design studio.
The Local Project
The raw strength of the materials brought the challenge of balancing their monumental scale with warm textures and a carefully curated color palette. Light wood, textiles, and furniture help soften the architectural boldness, while the bathrooms, designed by the Golden studio, reinterpret the idea of an intimate sanctuary through noble materials and highly refined details.
The private areas of the house are located at the southern end of the central axis, while to the north there is a flexible room that can function as a guest bedroom. Overall, the house combines an almost liturgical organization with the practical functionality of everyday life in a contemporary home.
Timothy Kaye
Sean Fennessy
Sean Fennessy